BAU Spring Break
by 14hpgirl19
Summary: Sequel to BAU High School. After spending far too many months apart, the team is finally back together for a much-needed vacation. It's all fun and games until they cross paths with some unfriendly guys. Will their friendship make it through this latest obstacle? Hotch/Emily JJ/Reid Morgan/Garcia
1. Time Apart

**A/N at the end. **

Chapter 1: Time Apart

When you meet your best friends, do you know immediately they're your best friends? Do you connect instantly? Or do you grow closer over time, and slowly come to be inseparable?

Same goes for soul mates. Do you work towards a relationship, or do you just come together seamlessly?

A group of six friends discovered that it is impossible to predict who will become your best friend or your soul mate. And once they realized that, they were better off, for they had created a bond stronger than anything they had ever made.

That bond was tested when they all went their separate ways for college. Still, if they learned anything else in high school, it was that nothing could tear them apart…

Right?

* * *

"Heads up!"

Emily Prentiss barely had time to duck before a bright red Frisbee flew through the air above her head. The quick movement caused her books to tumble out of her arms, falling into a heap on the grass in front of her. With a weary sigh, Emily knelt down to get them, ignoring the apologies of the student behind her.

"Boys, right?" a warm, familiar voice said. Emily felt a smile spread across her face.

"Right. They're just all so obnoxious." Aaron Hotchner let out an indignant scoff, and Emily laughed. "Hi, Aaron." Her boyfriend gathered a few of her books and kissed her, earning a few catcalls from the people around them. Aaron waved them off and gave them a stern look, though the tiny grin on his face spoke differently. Emily smirked and stood up, pulling Aaron up with her.

"C'mon," Aaron said, gesturing with his shoulder, "Let's get out of the danger zone."

The couple hurried across the quad and started down the path that wound between the various buildings of Yale University. Their hands remained intertwined, keeping them close to each other, side by side. That was how they always were: close.

It was the April of their freshman year of college. They had survived the first eight months, and now they were almost in the home stretch. Up until that point, there had been plenty of issues to keep them occupied. Yale was hard, and Emily felt like she was going to explode half the time. If not for Aaron, she most definitely would have. He was always the calming element for her, always there to rub her back or kiss her temple when she needed it. More often than not, Emily found herself praising the gods above that he chose to attend Yale with her.

However, it was not completely one-sided. One of Aaron's defining traits was that he was incredibly hardworking, which meant there were numerous times when he would completely immerse himself into his work and ignore everything else. Therefore, it was Emily's job to pull him away and get him to eat or sleep.

They were each other's support system, the other's other half. College had only strengthened what they began in high school. Despite having a rocky start to their relationship, Aaron and Emily were truly perfect for each other, and they planned to never change that.

"So, how was your class?" Emily asked, turning her head to look at Aaron. He rolled his eyes and gave a half-hearted shrug.

"Have I ever mentioned how much I hate math?" he asked wryly. Emily giggled, which caused Aaron to grin.

"Don't worry. After this year, you can dump all the necessary freshman classes and move on to what you really love."

"Thank _God_," he groaned. Emily laughed again, and Aaron shot her a suspicious look.

"Are you laughing at my misfortune, Emily Prentiss?"

She swallowed her giggle and feigned a serious look. "No, of course not. That would be cruel."

"One would think," he muttered. He winked at her to assure her he was only teasing.

"Want to grab lunch?" Emily offered. Aaron started to nod, then stopped and sighed.

"I'd love to, but I can't. I have to meet with Professor Mills about my essay."

Emily's heart sank a little, but she forced a smile. That was the third lunch that week they couldn't have together. The first time, Emily had a group project to work on. The second, Aaron's floor had a bonding session involving pizza, and Emily opted to sit out, knowing it would be a bunch of guys watching ESPEN and chowing down on food.

As close as they were and as strong as their relationship was, there were many weeks when they could barely spend time together. They had underestimated the lack of free time they would have, and that resulted in a lot of time spent away from each other.

"I'm sorry, Em," Aaron said, squeezing her hand tightly.

"Don't worry about it," she insisted, suddenly feeling guilty about how upset she was. Aaron always put a great deal of stress on himself, and when he thought he was making her upset, he felt awful.

"I know you've been wanting to have lunch together though."

"Yeah, and we've had lunch together _numerous_ times. So what if we don't today? We'll just spend more time together this weekend."

Aaron managed a small smile at her optimism. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being so great."

"In that case, you're welcome."

Aaron raised his eyebrows. "What, no 'I'm not that great Aaron, don't say that'?"

Emily smirked. "But I am great. Awesome, in fact."

Aaron stopped walking and leaned towards her, capturing her lips with his. Emily smiled into this kiss and squeezed his hand to assure him she really was alright.

"Yes, you are," he said when they separated. "You're wonderful."

* * *

A few states over, Derek Morgan ran a hand over his buzz cut hair and suppressed a groan. He hated school. Okay, that wasn't true. He hated _work. _He hated essays and projects and extra readings, like the one he was trying (and failing) to plow through right now.

"I'm not even majoring in physics," he muttered to himself. "Why the hell do I need to know this?" In an attempt to let out some of his frustration, he slapped his text book, frowning when all he got in response was a dull thud. He was partially hoping the evil thing would combust.

His cell phone rang from where it lay in his crumpled bed sheets. Desperate for a reprieve from reading, he leapt from his desk chair and onto his bed, grateful his roommate wasn't there to laugh at his enthusiasm.

"Baby girl, you have no idea how happy I am to hear your voice."

"I haven't even said anything, my lovable Morgan." The lightness in her voice made him smile for the first time in hours.

"I just knew it was you, sweetheart."

"Yeah, and you can read caller ID."

"That too."

"So," Penelope Garcia said, "what were you doing before that makes you _so_ happy to hear from me?"

"I'm always happy to hear from you."

"Yes, but you never go so far as to tell me, so spill."

Derek glanced at the textbook and shuddered. "Reading. Textbooks are not made to keep people invested, let me tell you that."

"Oh, you poor baby," Penelope said in mock-sympathy. "What can I do to make you feel better?"

Derek perked up at that. "Well, since you asked…"

"EW!" a young voice screeched from Penelope's end. "Please don't!"

Derek burst out laughing. "Hey, Spencer. Didn't know you were there."

"Yeah, I probably should have mentioned you were on speaker," Penelope said sweetly.

"Yeah, that would've been nice, baby girl."

"My ears may never recover," Spencer Reid moaned.

"Oh, come on!" Derek crowed. "You're a college boy now, Spencer!"

"Yeah, and I'm several years younger than everyone else here, so…"

"Point taken."

A ding was heard on the other end, causing Derek to frown in confusion.

"Oh, that's JJ," Spencer said, and Derek could hear the smile in his friend's voice. "We're gonna Skype."

"Have fun! Tell her we say hi," Penelope said affectionately.

"Will do." Derek heard a door shutting, and Penelope sighed happily.

"He's gone."

"So… about that offer of yours…"

* * *

"Spence!" Jennifer Jareau's face lit up at the sight of her boyfriend. "Hey!"

"Hi, JJ." Spencer walked down the hallway of Penelope's dorm and ducked into the stairwell. He settled down on the bottom step and rested his laptop on his knees.

"How are you?"

"I'm alright. How are you?"

"I'm okay," JJ said with a small shrug. "People are nice, school is hard, you know, the usual. Though you probably don't have to deal with the 'school is hard' thing."

Spencer blushed at the subtle compliment. "No, school is still difficult. The work load is more intense than high school, so it really comes down to managing my time and making sure I keep track of everything. I've actually created a system where-"

"Spence," interrupted JJ gently.

"Sorry."

JJ giggled, pushing her blonde hair back as she did. "It's fine. It's kind of cute, actually. The way you ramble on about stuff."

"Oh, it is?"

"Mmhm." JJ's smile became tinged with sadness. "I really miss you."

"I miss you too," Spencer said. "Every day."

"Good. I would hate for it to be an 'every-other-day' thing," she teased.

"Don't worry, it's not," replied Spencer, trying to tease back but failing instead. He cleared his throat and opted to change the subject. "So, how's Pittsburgh?"

JJ shrugged. "Alright. Though, to be honest…" She bit her lip. "I might be considering a transfer."

"Really? Why?"

JJ shrugged again. "It just isn't a good fit. I think I might be better off at somewhere like… Georgetown."

"Georgetown," repeated Spencer.

"Yeah. Though the transfer process is really complicated, and there is a LOT of paperwork, and I don't even know if I can make it in Georgetown, and-" She stopped midsentence, suddenly looking far more stressed than she had before.

"Are you alright?" Spencer asked softly. JJ managed a short nod.

"Yeah. Sorry about that. I just…" She sighed. "I wish you were here. Last year was so much easier knowing I had you to help me."

Spencer felt a surge of pride knowing how much JJ valued his aid. Two years ago, he never would have guessed that _the _Jennifer Jareau would need him, much less love him. It was something he cherished every day.

"I love you," he said. "You know that, right?"

JJ smiled. "Of course I do. And I love you too."

"Don't stress out too much. You'll be great in whatever you do."

"Thanks, Spence."

"And besides," the younger boy continued. "Spring Break is in a couple of weeks. We can see each other then."

"Good," said JJ, playing with a strand of blonde hair. "I could use the break."

"I think we all could."

JJ opened her mouth to say something else, but then her eyes darted to something off the screen. She frowned and looked back at Spencer.

"My roommate is back. I have to go."

"Stay strong, JJ," Spencer said comfortingly. "We'll see each other soon."

"I know. Bye, Spence."

"Bye, JJ."

The laptop screen turned to the Skype homepage as JJ clicked off. Spencer felt a brief wave of loneliness before he remembered that Penelope was just down the hall. He couldn't even imagine how alone JJ felt, or even Derek. Spencer knew they had made friends, and that they were happy where they were (for the most part). But it was not the same as having your best friends in the whole world by your side.

By the time Spencer returned to Penelope's room, an idea had already formed in his head. Penelope looked up when he entered and gave him a concerned look.

"What's wrong, boy genius?"

"JJ isn't having a good time at school." Spencer plopped down on the end of Penelope's bed. The blonde girl was propped up against her headboard on the other end.

"Well, of course she isn't, it's _school_," she joked. When she saw Spencer's mood didn't improve, she became more serious. "What do you want to do about it?"

"Well, I was just thinking…" started Spencer. "What if we all got together for Spring Break? I mean all of us. You, me, JJ, Derek, Emily, and Aaron."

Penelope furrowed her eyebrows. "I thought we were already doing that."

"I mean more than a normal get together." Spencer's voice was taking on the speedy quality it developed whenever he was explaining something. "What if we did something _really_ special. Something like… a vacation! We can go somewhere nice and just be with each other."

Penelope's eyes lit up at the suggestion. "Ooohh… I like this idea." A slow, devious smile spread across her face. "We have a lot of planning to do."

**A/N: So, here we are! I hope this lives up to expectations, and I hope you're all still interested in my little story. I'm going to try my best to post updates as fast as I can, but I am currently at writing camp (how ironic) so I don't know how speedy those updates will be. However, you've all waited so patiently, so I couldn't wait to put this up. **

**Thank you for your continued support. Please let me know what you think! =)**


	2. College Student Woes

Chapter 2: College Student Woes

Saturday morning, Emily was lying on her stomach on her bed. She was still in her pajamas, which consisted of a concert T-shirt and red plaid pants, despite it being nearly 11:00. Her laptop was situated on her pillow, and a half-filled word document was on the screen. She was working on an essay for her American History class, and she had hit a wall. Well, she hit the wall approximately fifteen minutes ago. Ever since then, she had been playing a game on her cell phone.

_It'll come to me eventually, _she thought. _I just gotta wait._

At least, that was what she hoped would happen.

Thankfully, Emily's roommate was gone for the weekend. If she hadn't been, Emily would have been criticized for procrastinating her essay even more than she already had. Her roommate was the perfect Type-A personality, and she never missed an opportunity to remind Emily of that.

A knock on the door pulled Emily away from her game. She tossed her phone on her bed as she stood up, moving to open the door. She smiled brightly at the person on the other side.

"Good morning," greeted Aaron. He raised an eyebrow and nodded at her choice of attire. "Slumming it today?"

"Shut up," said Emily with a laugh. "I'm trying to write my essay."

"Oh. Well, then if you're busy…" Aaron started to leave, but Emily grabbed his hand and tugged him inside the room.

"I haven't written anything in nearly twenty minutes. And I haven't written anything _good_ in… let's see… I started it about an hour ago, so… an hour ago?"

Aaron chuckled and took a seat on Emily's desk chair. She perched herself on the bed, crossing her legs beneath her.

"Sounds exciting," he said.

"Thrilling. So, what brings you to my tiny room on this lovely morning?"

"I thought we could hang out today." He reached over to pick up her laptop, but Emily smacked his hand away.

"Nope. You can't read it."

"I can help edit!"

"Yeah, sure, when it's _done._ Which it is so not."

"Fine, fine." Aaron gave her an expectant look. "So? You wanna do something?"

"Yes, I do."

"Good." He smirked. "Write your essay."

Emily let out a groan, and she punched his arm. Aaron laughed and pretended to be hurt.

"Not funny," she said with a pout.

"You have to admit I have a point."

Emily glared at him. "I thought you wanted to hang out!"

"I do."

"Then don't tell me to do my homework!"

Aaron grinned mischievously and propped his feet up on her bed. Emily's heart skipped a little at seeing him look so casual and relaxed. During the school year, Aaron often looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, and there were days when getting a smile out of him was impossible. But when he was like this, well, there was nothing like it.

Emily loved it.

"So," said Aaron, nudging her knee with his foot. "How about lunch? Then a walk through the park, maybe a movie?"

"You sound like such a romantic."

Aaron scowled. "Would you rather me be a jackass?"

"I've seen you be a jackass, so no."

Aaron's face fell at the reminder of his pre-Emily high school persona. He hadn't always been a nice guy, and he hated it. He had let himself become molded by the people around him. It wasn't until he met Emily and her friends that he changed into his own person, a person he could be proud of. He never wanted to go back to who he used to be.

Emily immediately felt bad for reminding him of it. She got up off the bed and carefully placed herself on his lap. Aaron's arms encircled her waist and held her close.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, kissing his cheek. Aaron closed his eyes.

"It's alright. I know you didn't mean it."

Emily tilted his head back by placing her fingers under his chin and pushing up. He opened his eyes and gazed at her, a sad look coming from him. She smiled a little and kissed him on the lips. She tried to convey her exact feelings, that she didn't blame him for how he acted in the past. Aaron pressed his lips closer to hers, savoring her touch.

"I love you," she murmured when they pulled apart.

"I love you too."

"Lemme get dressed. Then we can go."

"Okay. You sure you don't need to work?"

Emily lightly swatted his arm and extracted herself from his grip.

"Believe me, I would much rather spend the day with you."

Aaron smiled, the lightness in it returning. "Good."

* * *

"I have to say, I liked the first one better," Emily stated as she and Aaron exited the movie theater. Her hand immediately found his, and they began walking down the sidewalk.

"I don't know, this one had its perks," argued Aaron. Emily smirked.

"Do you mean the main female character? If you can even call her a main character?"

"She had… substance," he insisted. Emily burst out laughing.

"She had major cleavage, if that's what you call substance!"

"Oh, like you weren't drooling over the main guy!"

Emily gave a fake-pout. "Not fair. Zachary Quinto is very attractive. And _his_ character had substance!"

"What is it with you and substance?" Aaron shook his head in amusement. Emily shrugged.

"I feel like every person needs it. Otherwise they're flat and uninteresting. Like cut-out paper dolls."

"You should have been a writer. Than you can give _everyone_ substance."

"Okay, you can stop using that word now," Emily said. "And besides, I'm a shit writer. You know that."

"If I say I don't, will you stop mocking me for my opinion on this movie?"

"I wasn't mocking you."

"There isn't a single person who would say your tone wasn't mocking."

"I think you're just sensitive."

"I think you're mean."

Emily stopped walking and raised her eyebrows. "Oh, is that what you think? Well, in that case…" She started to pull her hand away from Aaron's, but he simply held on tighter. A smile began to tug at the corners of Emily's mouth.

"Scarlett Johansson doesn't compare to you, you know," Aaron said shyly, referencing the film.

"You're so sappy."

"You said that earlier today."

"I mean, it's true…"

Aaron laughed under his breath and pulled her close to him. He kissed her, and they lost themselves in the contact, ignoring the fact that they were standing in the middle of the sidewalk. Someone coughed as they walked by, bringing them to their senses. They separated, blushing like the caught teenagers they were.

They resumed walking, and they quickly fell into a conversation about the merits of sequels. Emily was insisting they would always be inferior to the original while Aaron defended them, saying they could be quality pieces if done properly.

Emily's cell phone rang, interrupting Aaron's passionate argument. He frowned at the phone, causing Emily to grin.

"It's Penelope," she told him before picking up. "Hey, Pen."

"Hello, my best girl. And hello, Aaron."

"Who said I was with Aaron?" Emily said innocently, glancing at her boyfriend out of the corner of her eye.

"Oh, so you're not?"

"Well, no, I am."

"Knew it!" Penelope cried. "You two are sooo not hard to predict."

"Glad to hear it," Emily said with a roll of her eyes. Aaron kept giving her questioning looks. She shook her head in response.

"No, believe me, it's a good thing."

"Thank you, then."

"Thank you for what?" Aaron pressed.

"Calm down, Nosy," Emily said, nudging him with her shoulder.

"Who's nosy?" Penelope asked on the other end.

"Aaron."

"I'm not nosy!"

Penelope laughed, having heard him. "Tell him to relax. What I have to say pertains to him too."

Emily relayed the message. Aaron huffed a little, muttering, "I don't need to relax." Emily giggled.

"Alright, what's up, Pen?"

"Welllll," she said, drawing out the word. "As you know, Spring Break is coming up."

"Really? I had _no _idea."

"Fine, then, Ms. Snark. No need to be a jerk about it."

"What about Spring Break?" Emily asked. Aaron raised his eyebrows.

"We – and by we, I mean our Merry Band of Misfits – are going on a trip."

"A trip? Are you serious?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Emily shrugged even though her friend couldn't see her. "Because we're college freshmen who can barely eat out on the weekends. Where were you thinking, for this trip?"

"Somewhere nice."

"See, 'nice' might be hard to come by. Recall my previous statement."

Penelope let out an exaggerated sigh. "It was Spencer's idea."

"Really?" Emily asked, raising her eyebrows. "That doesn't seem like him. His idea of a vacation is reading fifteen books in a day, then watching _Star Trek._" Aaron snorted.

"He thinks JJ is having a difficult time, and he wants to make Spring Break special for her. He figures having all of us together on a trip will be just what she needs."

Emily took a deep breath. Just over a year ago, she would not have given a damn about what JJ wanted or needed. Of course, times had changed, and now JJ was one of her best friends.

"Then I guess we need to start saving."

* * *

"I now call this emergency meeting of Thomas Jefferson High School's Greatest Alumni to order," Penelope announced. She was seated on her bed in her dorm room, with Spencer at her side. Her laptop rested on both of their laps, and its screen held three familiar faces. Aaron and Emily were in one Skype window, and Derek was in another.

"I'm sure there are some people who would object to that," Aaron remarked, leaning back on his bed. They had opted for his room since Emily's roommate was on the warpath about the history essay.

"Like Strauss," Derek said. His face became clouded with nostalgia. "God, I still remember her face when Emily won Prom Queen…"

"When you MADE me win Prom Queen!" Emily cried. "You ran up with my name on a piece of paper!"

"And her face was priceless!" Derek asserted. "It was totally worth it."

"And besides," Penelope said, "Aaron couldn't be King without his Queen!"

Everyone minus the couple in question made cooing and kissing noises. Emily rolled her eyes as Aaron kissed her cheek, which only increased their friends' teasing.

"Okay, _okay_," she said firmly, bringing everyone back to the present. "Let's get down to business."

"Yes." Penelope clapped her hands together. "Spring Break."

"Is not possible," Emily said. Penelope glared at her.

"Wow, ye of little faith."

"I'm just trying to be realistic!"

"You said we needed to start planning! That's like saying you're up for it and you think it's a good idea!"

"Because I did think that, at first," admitted Emily. "But Aaron and I talked about it on the way back here, and we just don't know how we can swing it."

"That's where the planning comes in."

"Penelope…" Aaron said. "We need to think this through."

"We're about to!"

"Guys," Spencer said softly, drawing everyone's gaze. "I know that this won't be easy, and that it's probably not possible, but I think we should try. For JJ. She's seriously doubting herself out there, and I think she really needs the time off with all of us. A vacation would be the best way to do so, because we'll be somewhere completely new, where nothing old can hurt us."

Everyone was quiet as they took this in. Spencer had never been the one to beg for anything (unless it was to get them to watch something sci-fi related). But his plea now… it said a lot to the group.

"Hypothetically," Aaron said, breaking the silence. "Where would we go?"

"Well," Penelope started, picking up her sparkly pink notebook. "I Googled popular Spring Break spots for college kids, and I found this website that helps students plan trips. They have several locations, many of which are in either Mexico or the Bahamas…"

"Let's not do that," Derek said. "Traveling will cost way too much."

"I agree," Aaron said. "Is there anywhere in the US?"

"Yeah, there's a spot in Texas, and one in Florida."

"Oooh," Emily said, a faraway look appearing in her eyes. "Florida."

"Yeah," Penelope said. "Panama Beach. Apparently it's the number one Spring Break spot in the US."

"Wouldn't that make it more expensive?" Aaron asked apprehensively.

"Negative, Captain Hotchner," Penelope replied. "This website is budget friendly."

"Are you serious?" Aaron asked. Emily nudged him with her shoulder.

"The whole point of it is to _help_ college students go on vacation," Penelope shot back. "It's as cheap as we're gonna get."

"Well, how cheap is that?" Derek spoke up. "Because I'm not exactly rolling in dough over here."

"We're not either," Spencer said, looking at Penelope. She shook her head.

The three of them looked at Emily and Aaron. Aaron shrugged, then glanced at his girlfriend, who looked down at her lap.

"I'm not, but…"

"But what?" Penelope asked, her eyebrows furrowing. Emily sighed.

"My mother keeps offering to send me money. I tell her no for the most part, but sometimes I cave."

Silence.

"So, what you're saying is that if you asked your mom for vacation money, she would probably give it?" Penelope did her best to give Emily a sharp look through the webcam. Emily bit her lip.

"Most likely…"

"Then what's the problem?"

"You guys won't have money!" Emily cried. She paused then, a look of concentration appearing on her face.

"What're you thinking, Princess?" Derek asked. Aaron shot him a look before turning back to Emily.

"Well… I haven't taken the money recently…"

"So?" Derek prompted.

"Maybe I can get my mom to pay for you guys too, since I haven't accepted any of her offers since, like, Christmas."

"We can't allow your mom to pay for us!" Penelope chided. "That's too generous."

"Do you think you can make it on this trip without her help?" Emily countered.

"We might be able to make it work…"

"So the answer is no. I'm sorry, Pen, but you know it's true." Emily let her gaze flit to each of her friends. "Look, when I was younger, I didn't really have a lot of birthday parties, or any kind of get-together with other kids, really. I moved a lot, so it was hard to make friends. Plus, no one really wanted to hang out with the odd girl. My parents have never gotten the chance to do something like this for me. I think they wouldn't mind doing it now."

Penelope opened her mouth, then closed it again. Aaron squeezed Emily's hand, and Spencer offered a sympathetic smile. Penelope finally spoke.

"Okay, so since there is a computer screen between us, just imagine I'm hugging you. As for the trip…" She thought about it for a second. "Okay, how about this: We pay as much as we can, and then your parents help with the rest?"

"Done," confirmed Emily with a nod.

"Hold on," Aaron said, holding up his free hand. The other was still holding Emily's. "We don't even know if your parents will agree to this."

"Let's worry about that if they don't. Until then…" Emily grinned at her friends. "Panama Beach, here we come!"

**A/N: That student trip website it a real thing. I seriously Googled spring break spots and found a site that helps students plan trips. It's pretty cool.**

**Anyway, sorry about the wait! I've been settling in back at home, and I haven't had a lot of time to write (one of the many things I miss about my camp is writing time haha). Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know if you did! I'll appreciate it so much.**

**Also, a BIG thank you to everyone who has favorited or followed this story. Your tremendous support never ceases to amaze me. Thank you thank you thank you. **


	3. It's Coming Together

Chapter 3: It's Coming Together

It really shouldn't be this hard. She already knew how they would respond. At least, she hoped she knew. Either way, she wouldn't know until she tried.

The trying part was just taking a while.

"Em?" prompted Aaron. "Are you going to do this anytime soon?"

He was stretched out on her bed in her dorm room. Opposite, Emily was perched on her desk chair, eyeing her cell phone. It lay on her desk, which is where it had been for the past fifteen minutes.

"What if they say no?" she asked, not looking at her boyfriend.

"Then they say no," Aaron replied. Emily suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. "Why are you so worried? You knew from the get-go there's a chance they won't agree to this. What do you have to lose?"

Emily sighed. "I don't want to let everyone down. They're all so excited."

Aaron studied her closely. "And… maybe you're excited too?"

Emily frowned and glared at him. "Don't profile me."

"I'm only a freshman, I hardly know how to profile people."

"Well, either way, that's what you're doing now!" She turned her gaze back to her motionless phone. Aaron sat up and leaned forward. He grasped Emily's hands within his own and squeezed.

"Hey," he said softly. "Look at me."

Emily resisted for a moment, but eventually she looked over. Aaron smiled and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles.

"No one will blame you if your parents say no. We'll just have to come up with a plan B if they do." He looked at her square in the eye. "We'll make it work."

Emily bit her lip, then nodded. Aaron kissed her briefly on the lips before pulling away and untangling one of his hands. He picked up her phone and held it out to her. After a small pause, Emily took it from him. With a shift of the thumb, her phone was unlocked, and her mother's number was gracing the screen. Pressing the green "call" button, she lifted the phone to her ear and waited while it rang. Aaron still held her other hand, and he squeezed it right then. She offered him a weak smile.

"Hello?" Elizabeth Prentiss's crisp voice sounded over the line. Emily swallowed.

"Hey, Mom. It's me."

"Emily! It's so wonderful to hear from you. You haven't called in a while." Only Mrs. Prentiss could make something sound simultaneously accusing and nonchalant.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I've just had a lot of stuff going on." Emily glanced at Aaron, and he gave her a reassuring smile and nod. Warmth spread through her chest.

"Working hard? I should certainly hope so…"

"Oh, yeah, lots of hard work. In the past month alone I've had, like, four essays. I can't wait for break."

"Is that coming up soon?" Mrs. Prentiss sounded disinterested. Emily's social life never did occur to her. "Will you be coming home?"

"Well…" Emily took a deep breath. This was her in. "That's what I wanted to ask you about."

"Of course you can come home, Emily, you're always welcome. You know that."

Emily winced. Aaron squeezed her hand, and she offered a meek grin in response. She switched her gaze to a spot on the wall behind his head, trying to phrase her words very carefully.

"Oh, I do know that. But, since it's Spring Break, and it's so close to the end of the school year, I was hoping to do something a little more… fun."

"Fun?" Mrs. Prentiss repeated blankly. Emily wondered if that word was even in her mother's vocabulary. "What did you have in mind?"

Emily looked at Aaron, as if he would tell her what to say next. Of course, having not heard Mrs. Prentiss, he had no idea. He just gave her a blank look in response. Emily glanced away again.

"A trip," she said with as much confidence as she could muster. "With my friends."

There was a pause. Emily chewed on her lower lip as she waited. It felt like an eternity.

"And where would this trip go?"

"Panama Beach," Emily answered readily.

"Sounds expensive."

"We found a website that caters to college kids on break. It's budget-friendly."

Elizabeth sighed. "What exactly are you asking me, Emily? Don't beat around the bush, you know how much I hate that."

"Can you help pay for our trip to Panama Beach for Spring Break?" asked Emily, her words coming out quickly and nervously. She had rehearsed it over and over in her head, planning each word carefully.

Again, a pause. Emily's heart rate increased by several beats. Aaron seemed anxious too, but he wasn't showing it as much as his girlfriend. However, she noticed the way his jaw clenched after she finished her question. It was his tell. Emily had gotten quite adept at picking those out (though Aaron noticed hers first, the jerk).

"That is a hefty request," Elizabeth finally said. Emily was so scared of an immediate negative response that she didn't even know what to say. Her mouth opened and closed for a moment before she thought of something.

"I realize that. And I wouldn't ask if this wasn't important to us. To me. But… it is. We haven't seen each other in a while, and school has really been getting to us lately. We need this. Just two weeks, on vacation, all together. Besides, I haven't taken any money recently. This could be your way of making it up to me." She cringed. "I mean, my way of making it up to you." A groan. "You know what I mean."

Emily could practically see her mother purse her lips. She began jiggling her foot up and down. Aaron raised his eyebrows. The reassuring squeeze made a reappearance, but Emily didn't smile. This was the make-or-break moment.

"I assume you've thought most of this out already?"

Thankfully, they had. Penelope, in all her enthusiasm and computer-wiz glory, had come up with an in-depth itinerary. Prices for lodging and travel were all outlined, as well as additional expenses.

"Yes," said Emily. "I can email it all to you as soon as needed. Heck, I can send it now."

"Please do. I'll look it over and discuss is with your father."

Emily let out the breath she hadn't fully realized she was holding. Aaron's eyebrows lifted in question, and the corner of her lips quirked up for an answer. His brown eyes lit up, a grin of his own starting to form.

"Thank you _so_ much, Mom! I would hug you if I were actually near you."

Elizabeth chuckled briefly. "Don't be so quick with the thanks. I haven't said yes yet."

"Oh, I know. But I figure I gotta butter you up somehow."

"I'll let you know soon, Emily. In the meantime, keep up the good work. And tell Aaron I say hello."

"Will do. Love you."

"I love you too."

Emily hung up and looked at Aaron. He returned her gaze expectantly, though he obviously knew how the conversation went.

"She's gonna talk to my dad," Emily reported. Aaron nodded.

"That's good! That's not a no."

"No, it most certainly is not."

* * *

A few days later, they had their answer. The team of misfits was headed to Panama Beach for two weeks come April, and they could not have been more excited. Penelope coated her dorm room in lists upon lists of things to pack, things to do once there, and general "To Do's" prior to leaving. Derek took great pleasure in telling everyone he could about the upcoming trip. Emily convinced Aaron to not bring a single textbook with him. She discussed which outfits to bring with Penelope and JJ, once JJ was informed of their plans.

Spencer was the one that told her. He had requested to be the bearer of good news, and no one objected. After all, it had been his idea.

"Hey, Spence," JJ greeted, cell phone lodged between her ear and shoulder. She was in the process of tucking her textbooks into her backpack, and it was proving to be quite difficult.

"Hi, JJ." He paused. "What are you doing? It sounds like you're climbing a mountain."

JJ moaned. "I have too much stuff, and very little space in my bag. I'm about two seconds away from chucking one of these god-awful book out the window."

"Sounds like you need a break," Spencer said lightly. JJ barked out a laugh.

"You're telling me. I have a countdown for Spring Break on my phone."

"Got any plans for that?" Spencer tried his best to sound casual, but anyone who knew Spencer Reid knew he was terrible at casual. JJ paused in her packing endeavor and frowned.

"I _was _just going to go home, but do you have something else in mind?"

"Well… it just so happens that our dear friends have an idea."

JJ smirked. Of course they did.

"And that idea would be?"

"Panama Beach, Florida. All of us. Spring Break."

JJ froze. That most certainly was not what she expected. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

"JJ?" Spencer prompted. "You still there?"

"I…" She cleared her throat. "You're not serious, are you?"

"I am. Emily's parents are helping with the money. Penelope's got all the travel plans in order. All you need to do is say yes. And pack. And probably inform your parents."

"Spence, I…" She shook her head. "I can't… That seems too good to be true."

"JJ," he said gently. "Just say yes." She hesitated for a fraction of a second.

"Hell yes."

**A/N: Hi. So, I am really, really, reallyyyy sorry about the long wait between chapters. My life has gotten so very crazy, and I haven't had much time to do anything outside of school and work. I'm optimistic about things slowing down soon, but I've thought that before and been proven wrong, so please bear with me. I promise to never abandon this. I will update eventually, but not as often as I would like.**

**Thank you all for your continued support. It means the world to me, and it makes my hectic life a whole lot more tolerable. =)**


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